Martina Navratilova and wife Julie Lemigova adopt 2 boys; American icon becomes mother for the first time
Martina Navratilova became a mother for the first time, adopting two young boys with her wife Julia Lemigova on Wednesday, August 14. The family hasn't revealed much information about their new children and have requested privacy from the media until they publicize the details.
Navratilova and Lemigova, a former Miss USSR, have been married since 2014. While Navratilova didn't have any children until now, her wife has two daughters from a previous marriage (and one boy who died shortly after birth).
The two had been planning to adopt kids for a while, but the plans were put on hold for a while after the 18-time Grand Slam champion had suffered a second cancer diagnosis early last year.
"Well, our girls, we have an empty nest just recently. So, you know, I was busy raising a family. Now, I'm not really sure. Again, with the cancer bout, you know, I really want to guard my time and try to figure out where best to put my energies. Tweeting is not it. I don't know. But neither is golfing. Well, Julia wouldn't mind having another kid. But I don't know. We'll see what happens on that front," Navratilova had said last year.
Now, though, the American is "over the moon" after the adoption of her new kids, as relayed to the press by her agent Mary Greenham.
"We are over the moon, recognising the challenges and the rewards for everybody," Navratilova said in a statement.
"I've stepped away from the one-way people" - Martina Navratilova on how she has changed after her second cancer diagnosis
Speaking on the 'On with Kara Swisher' podcast at the end of 2023, Martina Navratilova shed light on how her breast and throat cancer diagnosis impacted her life.
The American tennis legend admitted that it helped her 'cut the chaff' in life and move away from people that suck the energy out of her, instead making her focus more on those who deserved her attention.
"When your health is at a crossroads like that, everything else takes second place. First, you have to get healthy. And I just learned to... I learned to really cut the chaff, you know, stay away from people that don't give me the energy, that suck it out of me. At the same time, I try to give the energy to people. But, you know, it needs to be a symbiotic situation, not a one-way ticket. So I've stepped away from the one-way people," Navratilova said.
Martina Navratilova has since been declared cancer free by her doctors and has been spotted back on the tennis tour as a commentator.